


Ghost Hunt: Mai's New Life in England

by Vinnette_StoryWriting



Category: Ghost Hunt
Genre: Any Feedback is Welcome!, Could Be Some Edits In the Future, F/M, I Tried to Keep it as True to the Original Idea as I Could, I've Written Many Unpublished England Stories, Mai's in England!, Takes Place 5 Years After Ghost Hunt Manga, This is the One I Like the Best, Updates Might Be a Bit Slow, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-26
Updated: 2018-01-29
Packaged: 2019-03-09 15:06:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13484043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vinnette_StoryWriting/pseuds/Vinnette_StoryWriting
Summary: Working for the C.E.O. of the British Society for Psychical Research (BSPR) was an intimidating idea. And knowing said C.E.O. is the adoptive father of your old boss, would make anyone's blood pressure skyrocket. But here we are, about five years after Naru's departure back to England. Mai moves, attends Cambridge University, and works as an assistant to Martin Davis with two colleges: Spencer Burke and Thomas Reid. Since Mai arrived in England a little over a year before our story starts, Naru had been away on a trip across Europe and the States. Now he's back, and they'll finally get to meet each other all over again. Everything's the same, but oh so different.





	1. Five Years Later

**Author's Note:**

> Hello lovelys. My first published Ghost Hunt fanfic! I did some extra research for this, not wanting to get anyone's backstory incorrect and to stay true to everyone's actual past. For instance, Martin Davis is the C.E.O. of BSPR in the manga, and I kept that in, but i also altered it in my favor so he was a professor as well.  
> Once the first few chapters are out, I won't have to be so repetitive in the story. Please comment to give any feedback or advise; I get deeply connected to story ideas, but actually writing them into a story can make the over all product choppy. All that being said, enjoy! There will be more notes at the bottom, keep your eyes peeled!

Oliver Davis sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He’d just returned from a year and a half long trip across Europe and the States; doing research and demonstrating ideal techniques for exercising spirits for the Pratt Laboratory (a research institute branched from the British Society for Psychical Research in Cambridge UK).  
After finishing University, the BSPR offered him a lecturing position at Cambridge University; Oliver had only been able to do so for a year before going on this trip. He hadn’t been back for more than a few hours before being rushed back into his work routine. Not that he minded, but the amount of paperwork piled on the desk in front of him from BSPR, PL, and University was enough to cause a headache on sight. He was about halfway through a pile of paperwork before a knock on his office door stole his attention.  
“It’s open.” He hadn’t meant to sound annoyed, but his blunt behavior had taken a default since coming back home. Not needing to put up a fake front anymore was a burden lifted.  
“Oliver! It’s so good to have you home!” Martin Davis was a good man and excellent teacher, being the C.E.O of BSPR. Though Oliver didn’t show it much, he had a large amount of respect for is adoptive father. It was Martin’s suggestion to the Cambridge Board of Directors to put a Parapsychology course at the University; he accepted the offer of Professor for such lecture, all about a year before Oliver published “The System of the Unexplained Phenomena” at age 15. A feat he hoped to one day out shadow.  
“Ah, father. I thought I’d get some work done before coming home; I hadn’t expect to see you so soon.”  
“Nonsense!” Martin’s bright eye crinkled as he put a hand on Oliver’s shoulder, “Lin and Madoka are coming over for dinner tonight so you three can tell me of your travels; come home for the night, the three of you should be resting. I’ll have one of my assistants organize and help with these papers.”  
“Must have a lot of faith in your assistants to put such a task on them.”  
“You’d be surprise. There’s one already hired on with an apprenticeship, and he’s done exceedingly well. I’ve also gotten two other assistants, both very capable of carrying out such tasks. Bright futures in the BSPR business; I trust them all fully, you can too.”  
With another sigh, Oliver agreed. Coat buttoned and umbrella at the ready, he walked with his father towards the exit; a small smile on his face. He was glad to be home.  
***  
Mai was just about ready to leave when she felt her pocket vibrate. The screen displayed her boss’ name and she didn’t hesitate to answer, “Good afternoon sir!”  
“Good afternoon, my dear,” the voice chuckled back at her. “I was wondering if I could ask you a bit of a favor.”  
“Of course sir, what do you need me to do?” as Mai spoke, she fumbled to get the school office keys back out of her messenger bag.  
“I’ve had a bit of a family occasion come up, I was wondering if you could go to office 317, not far from my department, and organize the papers on the desk however you find most useful. If you have the time or motivation, feel free to read through the case documents or fill out the nonessential papers. No pressure if you don’t want to though; I haven’ tried calling Burke or Reid.”  
“That’s not a problem at all, I can get right to it! Is the door locked?”  
“I’ve just left from there, so it should be unlocked. You’ve finished with your other work, correct? I don’t want to overload your schedule.” The Professor hesitated a bit.  
“All my work is finished for the day, I was actually about to head out before you called.”  
“Did you have other plans?”  
Mai couldn’t help but smile at the fatherly tone the Professor used, “Afraid not. I’ll organize the office; tomorrow’s my day off so if it becomes a bigger project, I can always come in then as well.”  
“You’re still young! You shouldn’t invest all your privet time into work. You’ll turn out like my son.”  
Mai’s smile faltered just a bit. She knew that Naru was the Professor’s adoptive son. She and Naru, along with everyone else in the old SPR family, had all stayed close and in good graces. Even after Mai’s rejected confession, both Lin and Naru stayed close and in constant contact with the team in Japan, visiting as often as they could (usually twice a year). Though everyone would email updates on their lives at least once a month, no one had yet told Naru or Lin about what Mai was really up to.  
They knew that she was still in university; they just didn’t tell their English friends which University. Once Mai graduated after three years at Tokyo University, she felt she wanted in study more into paranormal research. After a few months of encouragement from her little family, she applied and studied a year at Cambridge University in England. The same one Naru and Lin taught at; not that she was going for them. But news had spread that just days before classes started, the infamous Oliver Davis was going on a long business trip. Mai was never able to see Naru before his departure.  
Mere months after attending Professor Martin Davis’ lectures, he saw tremendous talent in Mai and offered her a position as an assistant. Another year of lectures and studying (her fifth year of University education) and Mai would have the education and training to be a professional paranormal researcher. Mai’s career of choice.  
Martin Davis hadn’t been informed of the connection between Naru and Mai. Besides their brief meeting after finding Gene’s body, the two had never spoken. And as much as the two talked, he didn’t seem to remember her in any way; Mai never wanted to mention Gene, so to the day, Professor Davis doesn’t know. But Mai also prided that it was due to her skill and not relying on others, that she was this close to her goal. If her boss found out about his adoptive son being her old boss… then so be it.  
“Considering his impressive work, I’ll take that as a compliment.” Mai laughed.  
“Alright my dear, take good care. Do call me if you have any questions or need help.”  
“Yes sir!” Mai chirped before hanging up.  
While many other students would find it creepy and scary, Mai felt walking the long halls after hours was rather soothing and calm. She easily navigated the University until she came to office door 317, labeled “Prof. Davis, BSPR, Parapsychology”. She twisted the unlocked handle and immediately set her sights on the mountains of papers on the desk. Rolling up her sleeves with fiery motivation, Mai set to work reading and organizing the many papers.  
She first sorting into piles of BSPR, PL, and Cambridge by reading and sorting the case files into filing cabinets and leaving documents and paperwork out. Then sorting the different important documents in an organizing basket on the corner of the desk. It wasn’t until well after midnight that Mai had completely finished organizing; she read most everything and filled out some nonessential documents herself. Although she was pleased with the desk and filing system, the shelves and room itself could have used a bit more attention. Promising to nothing in particular to come back tomorrow, she finally headed out and home; glad she lived a block away from University grounds in BSPR funded apartments.  
***  
It was about 10:45 when Mai set out for the University once more. Though Saturdays were her days off, she could never help but come back for one thing or another. She walked to her boss’ office area, where her own desk was, first before grabbing cleaning supplies. It was much quicker to find the other office compared to the day before. When she tried the handle, she was glad to notice it was unlocked for her. Upon entering, she saw a small note on the desk addressed to her.  
“Dear Miss. Taniyama,  
Just in case you do come in today, I figured I’d unlock the door.  
I’ll be in the research wing or library for most of the day if you  
need me. If you’re here, feel free to join us for lunch in my research  
office around 12:30. We’re having those deli sandwiches that Reid makes!  
\- M. Davis”  
Folding the note into her pocket, Mai smiled and set an alarm on her phone. By the time the alarm went off at 12:15, Mai had gotten most everything cleaned, just as she hoped.  
Before entering the researching office, Mai checked her reflection in a dark nearby office window. She took the ponytail out of her medium length, chestnut hair. She had no makeup on her clear pale face, except some mascara around her red-chocolate eyes. Her plain violet shirt had come out undamaged and her black cargo shorts still spotless, even after all the cleaning. Happy with her inspection, she proceeded through the door.  
“Mai! You made it!” Spencer led her deeper inside as more eyes quickly fell upon her.  
“Hi Spence! The Professor told me Thomas made his infamous deli delights.”  
“Of course. Nothing is more beloved than good food and good company,” Thomas smiled.  
“Ah, Taniyama, you did make it! Have a seat, we’re all just finishing up,” Professor Davis greeted from his personal office.  
Once walking through the doors, one would come into a large room. Three desks were placed facing out from each corner of the room, the 4th corner having a small kitchenette. Along the wall between Mai and the Kitchenette was a door to a side office that was Professor Martin’s privet office; opposite to the door Mai just came through. In the middle was a coffee table, two couches on the sides and a chair at one end. The lobby setup had always reminded Mai of how Naru kept his office back in Japan.  
Mai crossed to drop her bag off at her desk before turning to her, what her colleges liked to call “domain”, and set to making everyone tea.  
“So, love, have you heard about Professor Davis?” Spencer smirked, sitting on a couch and crossing his legs.  
“No, what’s going on with the Professor?” Mai inquired.  
“Oh no, not the Professor. Professor Davis.” After a blink from Mai, Spencer specified, “Junior.”  
“Oh! You mean Professor Oliver Davis!” Mai exclaimed. “I haven’t heard anything. What’s going on?”  
“You’d think she’d know, considering she just spent nearly a dozen hours cleaning and organizing his office,” Thomas joined in.  
Mai rolled her eyes at his near exaggeration before processing what he had actually said. “That was his office!? I thought it was another one of the Professor’s!” Mai blushed.  
“Sorry to say no, my dear.” Martin Davis finally joined the other two boys at the table, taking a seat in the singular chair.  
Mai brought over a tray of tea, sitting on the couch opposite the two boys. “Okay, so I cleaned out Oliver’s office. What’s the big news?”  
“Oliver, she says,” started Thomas.  
“Like they’re already friends,“ Spencer finished.  
“Now lads,” Professor Martin took over. “As it turns out dear, my son had finally made it home last night. The work was long piled on; I told him to relax for the night and asked if you’d help in organizing. I can see from when I left you that note that you did a splendid job!”  
“Classes and lectures are going to begin since the first semester starts in a couple of days.” Thomas took a sip of tea before continuing, “You and Spence have signed up for your next class but I’ve already taken all the parapsychology classes Cambridge offers.”  
“Which means that you’ll be the only one helping the Professor under an apprenticeship,” Spencer summarized.  
“Yes. Since Oliver is back, he’ll take over most of the teaching while I go full time on cases,” Martin chimed in between sips of tea.  
“That’s so backwards,” Mai muttered.  
“How so?” the three chorused.  
“Well, Professor Martin is such a natural lecturer. He uses experience and expression and I’ve never had a problem learning or understanding anything. Oliver Davis on the other hand, though he’s very smart, just seems like a solving-problems-type. Just trying to say, that if I were in charge of assignments, I’d have the Professor stay a lecturer and Oliver Davis be the full time investigator/researcher.”  
“You talk like you know the guy,” Thomas laughed.  
“Well, it’s just from what information I’ve picked up on,” Mai half-truthed.  
“The does sound better, but sadly, the board wants Oliver to spend some time lecturing for the University since he was only able to do so a year before his departure. I approved the PL's request and as the head of BSPR, I need to support the board as well and work more on with the company. At least until second term I was informed,” the Professor sighed.  
“Forgive my gossip Professor, but it’s infamous that Oliver Davis is known for being tall, quiet, and handsome. But he’s got the coldest attitude, especially towards those who seem to have ulterior motives than an education. Some people could be considered obsessive, but he handles them flawlessly.” Spencer stated.  
“I’m know, and he’s very narcissistic.” Mai laughed, before adding a quick, “Or so I’ve heard!”  
“It’s true. I met the guy; had him as a Professor his first year back from Japan! Would sometimes reference the cases from there. Seemed to be some serious hauntings going on in that country. Aren’t you from Japan, Mai?” Thomas asked.  
“I am, born and raised. Japan had a lot of stories and cultures based off gods and spirits, so I’m not very surprised in all the activity,” Mai answered and polished off the rest of her tea.  
“Ah, we were so into conversing, I forgot to bring out the sandwiches!” Thomas got up to retrieve his culinary work.  
After more talking and a finished lunch, the Professor excused himself offering to see Mai after her class on Monday. “You can have tomorrow off since lectures start the day after. You only have the one class, so feel free to come here after lunch and you’ll still be able to get your work done before 4:30.”  
It was true, with Mai only taking the one lecture from 9:15-11:15, and having a forty-five minute break for lunch; it gave Mai four and a half hours to get all her usual work done. “Of course sir! I’ll see you all Monday!” And with that, Mai went home to relax and prepare so that her day off could be worry free.  
***  
It was early Sunday evening that Naru finally appeared from his home office.  
“Ah, Oliver darling! Are you hungry? I’ve just made some biscuits if you’d like!” Luella greeted from the doorway to the kitchen.  
“I’m still full from dinner, perhaps later. Thank you mother,” Naru soothed before joining his father in the sitting room.  
“Have your lecture for tomorrow ready?” Martin asked over some papers.  
“I’ve just finished planning my lectures for the next semester.” Naru sighed, “I just hope I have good students with intentions to actually learn. If I have another year like the last one I taught for…”  
Martin knew it must be stressful on Oliver, with him recently returning and then set to work again. “Well, two of my assistants will be in you lecture this year. If you need anything, feel free to ask them, they’ll help you.”  
“I may take you up on that.”  
“If you feel at any point you need your own, let me know and I’ll get one for you,” Martin laughed.  
“I'll let you know. I think I’m going to turn in early. Good night.” Naru made his way to his room, stopping only once to wish Luella a good night as well.


	2. Face to Face

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mai goes to her first lecture of the year full of nerves and worries. Right before the class ends, a text comes in that the assistants are needed for a case, meaning they have to leave early. What happens when Naru finds out Mai's been in England for nearly a year without him even knowing? (Not too good at summaries.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter two! Hello Lovelys! I've had this written for a day or so, but I've been tweaking and trying to perfect things so it wouldn't ramble too much. But it rambles a lot anyway. It's a long chapter, but I think it seems more informative than needed...  
> ANYWAY, there will be more notes at the bottom; please enjoy!

Hiding her face in her hands, Mai let out a quiet groan and leaned against the cold wall. Although she had nothing to do with the events already going on in the room, she could feel second hand embarrassment for her classmates. Spencer was peeking through the door’s window, having a very different reaction as he chuckled tauntingly at the scene inside. A large group of students had swarmed Professor Oliver Davis just moments before the duo arrived. Before the two could walk through the door, they heard his irritated voice reproaching the entire room; a permanent scowl etched onto his face and about a dozen students where left to cower in the very back seats of the lecture hall. But it was a new thought that kept her unmoving.  
“It’s gonna start soon, we should head in,” Spencer said, finally looking over to Mai. He mistook her for being nervous and tried to comfort her. “It’s probably not as bad as it seems. So long as we stay punctual to his lectures, study, and complete our assignments, he’ll see we’re not like those dilettantes.”  
Nerves were a part of the problem, but it wasn’t that she was nervous about attending the class. There was nothing intimidating about going to a lecture or having a difficult professor. Intelligence kept her wise and plucky since her university days first started. But what seemed to haunt her was the one thing she told herself to not fret over: Naru. Would Naru even consider her a friend and college, or was she going to be nothing to him but another student destined to feel the vexation that he radiated? What if she had built herself up with courage and hope, only to simply crumble and lose face? Sure they had stayed in contact, but she was only one thing to him, an old employee. Now she was a student and he was a professor, and she knew how Naru was about portraying to his titles.  
Knowing the questions were endless, she uncovered her face and took a deep breath. She placed a small smile to her lips and nodded, following after Spencer. Mai watched Naru as he glanced at the papers in his hand and then wrote on the board, blindly letting Spencer guide her to their seats. They quickly sat down in a vacant area at the front of the room, hoping the seats would be close enough for concentrating, but out of the way enough to not draw attention. She swiftly unpacked her things and began to copy the material down in her blue notebook. The clock ticked on for five, ten, then fifteen minutes before he stopped and finally faced his class.  
“I don’t write to exercise my hand; for those not already doing so, get writing.” His intimidating tone was enough motivation to get even the laziest of students writing. He glanced quickly around the room before addressing them again. “This is a lecture on parapsychology. A very serious topic for those who wish to pursue a career in paranormal research and/or investigation. Paranormal research is a difficult study; it must be treated, first and foremost, as science in order to gain credibility. That being said, those here for an easy course, proof on the existence of ghosts, or any other idiotic, simpleminded reason can either leave immediately or not come back after this class.” One could feel the tension in the air as he waited, letting everyone catch up on his notes.  
As Mai finished writing down the last few statements from the board, she couldn’t help but pause at the word mediumship. Through the years, her abilities had grown exceptionally. She was able to sense and communicate with spirits easily, create powerful energies, and even use astral projection purposefully when on a case. One of the first things Monk had taught her was how to evade the attention of spirits; only using her abilities when it was necessary. She was what studies would describe as a prefect mental medium.  
But with the growing of paranormal abilities, many alarming downsides seemed to appear as well. Mai would generate so much extra spiritual energy naturally that, without an outlet, it would cause her body to abruptly shut down. Before leaving, Monk and Ayako had gifted her a set of spiritual beads that she could release the energy onto. So long as she used it in time, no critical harm would come to her body, but she would be light headed. Hypersensitive to strong spirits was also a new side effect, causing her to be more prone to danger than she already was. Spencer and Thomas both had abilities as well, though they were different from Mai’s.  
Spencer was considered debonair and relatively handsome; slightly thickset, he was only a few inches taller than Mai, and radiated confidence. Thick strawberry blond hair was cut short and styled tastefully with gel. His hazel eyes always lit up with mischief and his mouth was never without his signature smirk. He had a taste for simple things, usually he could be found in jeans and a V-neck or kakis with a button-up. Intelligent as he may be, Spencer was more of the act first and think later; a trait be blamed on his ability quite often. The ability Spencer possessed was referred to as scrying; similar to what Mai would consider divination, since it’s an ability that allows someone to see visons trough a medium (object) of choice. A marble sized, smoky white glass orb was his item preference and he always wore it around his neck.  
Thomas on the other hand, was tall and angular with short dark brown hair. Grey eyes were often too busy scanning books and his expression was commonly unfocused unless he was being very serious or babbling about one of his books. Button-ups (sometimes with sweater vests) paired with black slacks were an everyday fashion choice. Thomas was completely polar to Spencer in terms of personality, but they got along exceedingly well. Mai also suspected that he had a photographic memory from the ways he could recite things as though he were presently reading it. The theory fit perfectly when she thought about Thomas’ abilities: aura reading and claircognizance. After a bit of research, Mai found out it means he knows things without knowing why or how he knows. He just knows, but it happens very rarely. 

Mai took the extra time to actually look at Naru. He had grown a bit taller since he’d last seen him. Raven hair had been groomed shorter than his teenage years; clean, tidy, and more mature. His outfit still included black slacks, shoes and button up black dress shirt; but the light blue tie around his neck was a nice new touch. If Mai looked hard enough, she could see a faint shadow under his dark indigo eyes from what she assumed was jet lag and work exhaustion. Other than that, there wasn’t a flaw or wrinkle in sight. Naru was different, but still undeniably handsome.  
Looking at Naru’s near perfect ensemble had her wondering about her own appearance. A mid-sleeved, flowy teal blouse with a thick black belt around her waist. Her black jeggings were paired with simple black flats. Her hair flowing free, just past her shoulder blades, had a teal hairband keeping her vision unimpaired. Other than a bit of mascara and chapstick, her face was bare of any makeup. Unlike most girls she saw around campus, she feared she was still a bit dull in comparison. They seemed tall, lady like, and effortlessly elegant; making Mai feel small and plain. Fairly, Mai’s body had certainly matured and filled out in her feminine features; being hit on guys wasn’t a feat unfamiliar to her. However, they were women, beautiful and alluring. She was an awkward and danger prone girl, more into ghost hunting than beauty.  
The sound of Naru’s voice brought her out of her mind and she stayed perfectly focused until after Naru had finished his lecture for the day. There was only about ten minutes left, so he allowed the rest of the time to be used for research on an essay due in two days, suggesting that procrastinating would be a terrible idea. As Mai started for her laptop, Spencer’s phone vibrated and he shook his head at her. “Thomas just messaged me. The Professor is going on a case and needs us to report immediately.”  
“Are we allowed to leave? It’s not like there’s a lot of time left, but this is Oliver Davis we’re talking about,” Mai whispered back.  
“Senior trumps Junior. I’ll take care of it.” He got up with a wink and walked up front to Naru’s desk. Mai strained her ears to hear the conversation.  
“Can I help you?” Naru asked without facing away from his laptop.  
“I’m sorry sir, but I work as an assistant to Professor Martin. I’ve just received a message that my college and I are needed immediately for a case. We wanted your permission to leave, sir.”  
“It can’t honestly be helped. You and the other assistant have more freedom than your bovine classmates; if this happens again, just leave and email me directly for the lecture and assignments.”  
“Thank you sir, we’ll be on our way.” With a quick nod from Spencer, Mai briskly headed for the door, eager to prepare for another case.  
“Before you go,” Naru stopped Spencer, “I need to know your names.”  
“I’m Spencer Burke, sir. And my college who just left is Mai Taniyama.”  
***  
Mai dropped her satchel next to her chair and picked up the manila folder on her desk. Thomas was already reading a file while the Professor was on the phone in his office, arranging transportation and equipment. She review the case carefully, making notes in her pocket note book she always carried with her on cases. A haunting in a country home, next to the ocean just outside of Newport. The report stated that a couple, James and Rosaline Welkin, had bought the cabin about three months ago in May. At night they would hear screaming from what they presumed were children. There was a lovely forest path, but they were too scared to use it because they always felt like something unnatural was watching them from the trees. Footsteps when there’s no one there, objects being moved or thrown, bodiless voices; a textbook haunting.  
Calculating the trip from Cambridge to Newport, it was going to be over a three hour drive. She could take her personal laptop with to work on her essay during the drive; hopefully it wouldn’t be too long of a stay, though most cases involved a couple over nights. The three assistants always kept luggage packed at the office for moments like this. Mai knew that as soon as everyone was briefed on the file and the vans were loaded, they would head out right away.  
As Mai closed the file on her lap, Spencer walked through the door with a bewildered look on his face. He was uncharacteristically silent as he went to his desk and reviewed the file. By the time he was finished, the Professor was hanging up the phone and looked to his underlings. “Everyone get through the file?” With quick nods from the three assistants, he continued on, “If you need anything, I suggest you grab it quick, we’ll be leaving in twenty minutes.”  
“I’ve made some Shepherd’s Pie for everyone, so lunch is covered,” Thomas held up a large thermos lunch bag.  
“I can put some tea in some thermos bottles if you have room in your bag.” With conformation from Thomas, Mai set to the kitchenette to make her tea.  
“I doubt we’ll be making any stops on the way, so I’m going to the lavatory,” Spencer waved as he left.  
Mai had just finished making and packing the tea when she decided to wash up and use the lavatory as well. After she washed her hands, she washed her face and mentally prepared herself for a long drive. When she walked back into the office area, Thomas and Spencer looked at her with curious eyes. “What are you two doing? Don’t we leave in,” she checked her wristwatch, “ten minutes?”  
Before either could say a word, a figure appeared in the Professor’s doorway. Naru stood looking at Mai with disbelief; a reaction Mai had scarcely seen on him before. He looked her up and down and Mai immediately realized that this was the first time he had seen her in person in over two years. She had physically and mentally changed since then, just as he had, and it was taking him a moment to process that Mai was, in fact, right before his eyes. It was like expecting a friend and meeting someone entirely new. All they could manage in this moment, was to look and memories all the alterations the other had gone through.  
After a moment of the two wordlessly looking at each other, Mai finally broke the silence. “Hello Naru,” she greeted in Japanese. Mai chuckled awkwardly, then switched back to English, “or I suppose I should call you Professor Davis.”  
Naru blinked and his expression hardened, becoming vexed; the temperature in the room seemed to drop a few degrees. He crossed the room and stood before her, arms crossed. “What are you doing here?” Mai eyebrows raised in astonishment at his tone and choice of words. Seeing her rather angry than guilty look, Naru clarified, “In England. Why had no one informed me of your move?”  
With the words coming out so bluntly and accusingly, Mai almost felt like her younger self when a feeling of defiance rushed through her. She calmed herself and smiled, “You make it sound like I was keeping a dirty secret.”  
“We email every month and not once did you mention England.”  
“It’s not like you asked.”  
“I did ask.”  
“You asked about my studies, not where I was doing said studies,” Mai teased.  
“Mai, you’re avoiding the point.”  
“In all fairness, I am sorry I didn’t tell you sooner,” Mai apologized. “But right when I got up here and settled, you left for your trip. We all knew you didn’t need the distraction. When I found out you were back I was going to call, but I knew you were tired and figured I’d see you in class the next day.”  
“You never told me, or Lin, anything about Cambridge in general. We could have helped or advised you on classes-“  
“I’m only taking the one lecture for Parapsychology and after that, I’m finished with university… For a while anyway,” Mia interrupted. “And it was an opportunity to learn from professionals. It was agreed that we wouldn’t stress you out while you were away and would keep it as a don’t ask, don’t tell.” Mai seemed to deflate at the end, knowing that it had been wrong to keep something like this from him.  
“I take it that was Ayako and Monk’s idea?” Naru questioned, relaxing a bit.  
“It was,” she sighed, “mainly Ayako, but I’m equally to blame since I agreed. If I wouldn’t had been called for the case, I would have said something after class.”  
There was another long silence as Naru finally calmed completely down and came to terms that at this point, it’s all in the past. As angry as he had been with his old team for keeping such secrets, he couldn’t really blame them for trying to look out for his mental health. Even if it was idiotic of them. Mai was just glad that the whole situation hadn’t been as negative as she had feared. The room's temperature felt like it had finally returned to normal.  
“Well, now that that’s settled, I’m impressed to see how well you’ve done. I don’t doubt that since Martin now knows we’re familiar, Madoka and Lin will soon find out about your arrival as well. They will be expecting to meet and talk with you soon, I suppose.” Naru seemed to be thinking to himself before adding, “And I’m sure Madoka is going to be a bit upset you didn’t tell her sooner.”  
Mai pouted her lips, “That’s not fair! She was gone with you and Lin; and you know her, she can’t hide her excitement. If she had known, you would have gotten it out of her eventually!”  
“That would have been a bad thing?”  
“At the time, yes.”  
Naru smiled a small genuine smile before lightly flicking her forehead, a small gesture she remembered him doing from their SPR days. “I’ll tell her myself and make sure to calm her down before she has a chance to come at you.”  
“Thank you,” Mai sighed.  
“One more thing, why didn’t you tell Martin that you were a part of SPR in Japan?” Naru asked.  
“I came here to learn. I’m sure I wouldn’t have been given any special treatment by mentioning our past, but I didn’t want to chance it. Also, have you met your fan base? If they had found out, I would have never gotten a full night’s sleep without someone calling to ask me questions on what it was like working and sleeping in the same building as you.”  
Naru’s usual blank expression turned into an impressed and slightly humored one. He quickly fell back into his stoic face. “Fair enough. I believe you have a case to go on, so I’ll leave you to it. We’ll talk again when you get back. Try not to get yourself into trouble.”  
As he was leaving, Mai smiled and quickly reached into a bag asking, “Naru! Are you sure you don’t want some tea before leaving?”  
He stopped mid-step and turned to see Mai holding a thermos. He walked over and accepted the warm beverage, pouring some into the lid cup from the kitchenette. It was Mai’s favorite, Green tea, and just as he remembered. It wasn’t necessarily that Japanese style tea tasted better to him, or the Mai had exceptional tea making expertise (though she did make his favorite is Black tea taste better than the shops in England). But every time he had any that wasn’t made by her, it just didn’t seem to taste right. Mai’s always made him feel at home.  
“Just like you remember it?” Mai teased.  
“I’ll be taking this,” He said as he grabbed the whole thermos. Not bothering to stop him, for she had made plenty, Mai turned to grab the rest of her things. Just as he reached the door, Naru turned to add, “Thank you.” Then left without another word. Mai smiled at the words she would have fought for so long ago; two simple words that now came without initiation from herself.  
With everything packed, she rounded to help load up the equipment, only to be stopped by the two open-mouthed stares she was receiving from Thomas and Spencer.  
“What?” She demanded.  
Thomas was the first to come to his senses. “How come you didn’t tell us you personally knew Oliver Davis?”  
“Why didn’t you tell us you were a member of the Japanese branch WITH Oliver Davis? You’ve already met, worked with, and are apparently on first name/nickname basis!” Spencer rambled.  
“That’s true. Rumor has it that only his brother, Eugene, ever called him Noll. Not even the Professor or his wife use the nickname,” Thomas added in a whisper.  
Mai saddened at the mention of Gene; Thomas probably didn’t want the Professor to hear since it would make him sorrowful. But he didn’t know how close Mai had actually gotten with Gene as well, though it was through nontraditional circumstances. But she casted the feeling away quickly, opting to explain herself quickly and get explanations over with. “How is any of that important? The only reason we’re on familiar terms is because of a misunderstanding with Japanese pronunciation. Naru, short for narcissist, just happened to sound like his nickname from here. I called him Naru not even a day after we met, and he’s called me by my first name since the beginning.”  
“Exactly!” Spencer proclaimed, “’Since the beginning,’ meaning you’ve known him how long now?”  
Not wanting to be pestered, Mai indulged him and thought back. “Well, I turned 23 this past July, and I’ve known him since the April just before I turned 16... At little over seven years.” Mai counted on her fingers. “I was only physically working with him for about two years, I think, but we’ve stayed in contact through email and he’s visited quite a few times in the other five. Less so recently for obvious reasons.”  
“He left in January, and you met him in April. You’ve basically known him since he got to Japan!” Spencer exclaimed.  
“Meeting him and getting my job were both unusual instances, and I didn’t even know who he really was until after-,” Mai hesitated, “Until just before he came back to England.”  
“Wait, so you didn’t know he was Oliver Davis?” Thomas asked, dumbfounded.  
“No. I didn’t even know anything about parapsychology or anything paranormal before I met Naru. I believed in ghosts, but never thought about the science behind the study let alone the training it took to exorcise them. He could have used his real name and I wouldn’t have known who he was to be honest.”  
“Then how did you end up working for him?” Both questioned.  
“A story you’ll have to save for the journey or another time, my dear.” The Professor emerged from his office. “Best get your coats on and grab your bags, we’ve got to head out. Button up your coats, my pupils, I fear there’s a bit of a chill today.”  
Doing as they were told, everyone grabbed their respective bags and belongings before heading out to the company van, eager to get to their next case.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty. So the next chapter is going to be about the case (which might take two or three chapters), and there shouldn't be nearly as much rambling now that I've had them reunite. I'm going to write the case from beginning to end, then split it up for chapters; so it might be a bit longer of a wait than this one was. But I do hope you liked this chapter and if you have any questions or feedback, let me know!  
> Have a pleasant day or night!  
> -Vinnette

**Author's Note:**

> And there we have it! Chapter One!  
> I used this as a reference when writing so I could remember what happened when, and who did what:: http://ghosthuntwiki.storyunlocker.com/index.php?title=Timeline  
> I've written quite a few works with Mai going to England as the prompt, so if you want to give those a read, let me know and I can publish them as well. I just liked the way this one was going the best.  
> That being said, if you have any prompt requests, please let me know! I've also written Miraculous Ladybug fanfics, and have a few new ones that need posting. I write for many things, so if there's a series you want to read about, you can let me know about that too.  
> My updates can take a bit, making time for writing has been difficult. But now that I'm in a good place in life, I have more motivation to do this!


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